Tournament Summary

2015 Tournament Chairman Clay Thomson, no relation to 2015 NBA Champion and Warriors Shooting Guard, pulled out all the stops at the first-ever Ponce Member-Guest. Clay produced the best swag we have ever had, which included Ponce logoed Tervis tumblers, etched crystal ware, pom pom headcovers, hats, pullovers and shirts embroidered with “Guest” to make our newcomers feel right at home!

The opening ceremony was highlighted by an appearance from six-time Major winner, Lee Trevino, who regaled our group of twenty-six players with tales on and off the course and his musings on the new cop of young guns playing the British Open this weekend.

In addition, Clay introduced a great new wrinkle: a greenside bbq after our sunset scramble with a closest-to-the-pin contest. (Michael Leahy hit the green from both the left and right sides, though he did not ace either shot like has before from both sides!)

The Member-Guest was the first all stroke-play Ponce, consisting of 5 tournament rounds of Best Ball (2x), Alternate Shot, Captain’s Choice, and Aggregate.

Congrats to Jeremy Bird and Kav Tucker for winning the tournament by three shots over Runners-up Muscoe Garnett and Isaac Morton. We would be remiss if we did not also congratulate John Klim for winning not one but both Wooden Spoons available for his impressive performance.

Friends – Special Thanks

Jamie Hamilton (2011, 2013 & 2015 PDL, The Greenbrier). Jamie is the head PGA Golf Professional at the Greenbrier. After three years of royal treatment from Sea Island’s staff, we had set quite a high standard heading into 2011. In a word, Jamie delivered. He provided great scoreboards; he provided live-time score mobile score updates for the Singles matches; and he evoked a genuine interest in our traditions. We look forward to continuing our relationship with Jamie and the fine folks of the Greenbrier.

In 2011, just days before the event, one of our players, Brooks Brown, was hurt in a boating accident in Charleston. Jamie admirably stepped in for Brooks and his team, West 44. Jamie proved to be the perfect addition to the Ponce! The other Ponce teams gave him a run for his money as Jamie’s par on 18 (and Snead & Co’s missed 9 foot putt) proved to be the hole that won it for his team. This once came down to the wire as it almost went to the first playoff in Ponce history.

Jamie and his team’s incredible service, which included touches such as scoreboards on the course throughout the rounds and a sunset bbq on the course with a twilight closest-to-the pin ultimately made these PDLs some of the most memorable to date. We know that when we come back to the Greenbrier, Jamie and his team will always go the extra mile… and they have fun doing it.

Patrick Graney (2015 PDL). Pat is a fellow UVA graduate and fraternity brother of many Ponce players. He is a West Virginia native and his family was gracious enough to serve as sponsoring hosts for one of the Ponce’s most memorable and scenic dinners in its history. We traveled in shuttles for about 15 minutes from the resort up to the mountaintop restaurant called the Summit, which is a private venue within the Greenbrier Sporting Club. The 26 Poncers wined and dined al fresco on a beautiful summer night in the West Virginia mountains, and we are grateful to the Graneys for sponsoring our access to such an incredible spot.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Wednesday

Opening Ceremonies at 7:30pm

Keynote Speaker: Lee Trevino

Thursday

Round 1: Old White Course: Best Ball, Stroke Play (Tee Times 8:00-9:12am)

Round 2: Old White Course: Pinehurst Alternate Shot (1:36-2:48pm)

7:30pm – Mountaintop Dinner at the Summit at the Greenbrier Sporting Club

The mission of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is to advance cures, and means of prevention, for pediatric catastrophic diseases through research and treatment. Consistent with the vision of St. Jude’s founder Danny Thomas, no child is denied treatment based on race, religion, or a family’s ability to pay.

The Fountain of Youth Blog – Recent Ponce News

April 10, 2019
Fellow Poncers:
I
have been waiting for a number of months to share this news.
There
is no better time than the eve of the 83rd Masters, and just two days after
UVA’s historic NCAA Basketball Championship.
The
Ponce de … [Read More...]

Chairman - Patrick McManamy
The Ponce returns to its January MLK date for the first time since 2009. The Ponce was held in January for its first seven years from 2003-009.
The site will be announced soon. … [Read More...]

CHAMPIONS,AWARDS, RECORDS AND PLAYER STATS

Each year, the players compete for the Fountain of Youth Cup, MVP trophy, Spirit Award and most recently the Wooden Spoon.

Click here to learn more about who has won these titles, about the records and stats for all players.

ABOUT US

Since 2003, the Ponce De Leon Invitational Golf tournament has taken place annually all over America and once in Europe in Saint Andrews.

“The Ponce” was a story about 16 buddies and set quite a precedent. I’ve always said that The Ponce…and with the competitive format put together by Neil Thomson and his friends, is the type of trip I would like to plan one day for all of my brothers and friends. I do buddies trips, just not at Ponce level.” –Matt Ginella, Travel Editor, Golf Digest (2008)